Refrigerating apparatus



y ,1950 w. GIFFARD REFRIGERATING APPARATUS w m Z *1 4 l a 4 4 4.5 4 A. I H w w y w f1 1 1 6 u 2 6 & n n p 2 my 7 H a a U. v in u 1 r. ll 1. I

.llllllllll I l I l l I I fi l llll Filed Aug. 15, 1947 May 30, 1950 w. GIFFARD REFRIGERATING APPARATUS Filed Aug. 15, 1947 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 lllllllll l lllllllllllllllll llllllll II IN VEN TOR. WRIT/VF, GIF'FRRD BY 7 MA. A. flaw I III Patented May 30, 1950 UNITED .STATES' PATENT OFFICE i wea aeraroaaarma mourns Whitney Glflll'dr Detroit,

N -Kelvlna corporation of lllcln, assignmto tor Corporation, Detroit,

Mich a 1 This invention relates generally to refrigerat- 2 the freezing comparhnent 24 so that room air ing apparatus and more particularly to refrigerstore of the household type.

It is an object of the present invention to propacity or removable receptacles located in the region of a cabinet machinery compartment.

Further objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, wherein a preferred lorin oil the present invention is clearly shown.

in the drawings:

Fig. l n a treat elevational view with door re moved, or a refrigerator embodying features. oi the present invention;

will not freely enter this compartment when the main or outer door 38 is opened.

The cabinet comprises a metal casing 40 and upper metal liner 42 and a lower metal liner 44. Liner 42 forms the walls of the freezing compartment 24 and liner 52 forms the walls of the food storage compartment 22 and of the high humidity compartment 26. interposed between the liners 42, 44 and the casing 40 is insulation at which may be of any suitable type. Insulation is also interposed between the adjacent top and bottom walls of the liners 42, 44 providing a horizontal insulation partition M between the freezing compartment 24 and the food storage compartment 22. Imbedded in this horizontal partition 48, a horizontally disposed bane plate hit is provided to prevent circulation of air, in the tion, above and below the bane or so that m the liners will be sealecl'irom each other to air- Fig. 2 is a vertieal, sectional view of the reirigerator taken along the line li t oi lie'. 1;

Fig. 3 is a horizontal, sectional view of the rei'rigeratortalzen alone the line t-d of Me. i;

Fig. t is a diagrammatical view showins a two temperature type of refrigerating system for the partment 24 and a cooled, high humidity compartment 26. In the present cabinet, the freez ing compartment 24 is located above the food storage compartment 22, adjacent the top of the cabinet and the high humidity compartment 26 is located below the food storage compartment, adjacent the bottom of the cabinet. The cabinet 20 has a bottom wall 24, side walls II, a rear wall 32, a top wall 34 anda door ll. As shown, the door It extends substantially the full height of the cabinet, closingthe compartments 12, I4 and 26. An inner door ll is preferably provided for relation of air therebetween. This bane plate to extends to the side and rear wall inner dlll laces of the cabinet cosine lit and to the front oi the horizontal partition lit between the liners,

The refrigerating system comprises, in general. a relatively high temperature refrigerant evaporator 53, a relatively low temperature reirigen ant evaporator St, a relrieerant oondensertt and a refrigerant motor-compressor unit its shown, the evaporators 5t and lit are preferably sinuous conduits or coils, respectively secured to the outer surfaces oi." the liners l2 and tilt in the present arrangement, the evaporator coil extends along the rear wall oi the liner M and the evaporator coil 54 extends along the bottom, sides and top of the freezing compartment liner 4. Liquid refrigerant is supplied from the condenser 5G to the relatively high temperature evap-= orator 52 through a, control or capillary tube it. absorbing heat mm the liner 42 to cool the food storage compartment 22. From the evaporator 52, the refrigerant flows into the relatively low temperature evaporator 54 through a flow restricting tube 62 which maintains a pressure dify the cabinet. In order to increasethe available, usable storage space of the cabinet, 1. form the t ferential between the evaporators. A vapor return line 64 connects the relatively low temperature evaporator 54 to the motor-compressor unit 58 where the refrigerant iscompressed and delivered to the condenser 56. v i

The motor-compressor unit 58 is located in a machinery compartment 86, adjacent the bottom and rear walls of the cabinet. This unit I8 may be suitably mounted on the base frame of cabinet rear wall 32 with an inwardly extended portion I0, intermediate the cabinet side walls 30 to provide a recess for receiving the motor-compressor unit 58. This extended portion I is rounded or arcuate, as shown, to decrease cabinet storage space occupied thereby. A flue I2 and the rounded recessed wall portion I0 cooperate to form the machinery compartment 66 for the motor-compressor unit 58. To aid up draft of air through the machinery compartment so as to carry away the heat generated by the motor compressor unit, the extended rear wall portion may be inclined, extending downwardly and forwardly to Join the cabinet bottom wall 28, intermediate the front and rear walls of the cabinet.

To increase further the available, usable storage space in the cabinet, the rounded, extended portion I0 of the cabinet rear wall is made conical in shape; the cross sectional area of the recess formed thereby decreasing upwardly to the point where the extended portion I0 joins the vertical rear wall 32.

In the food storage compartment 22, a number of vertically spaced shelves 86 is provided and supported on rails secured to the liner 42. Preferably, the shelves 86 are made of glass or other suitable impervious material to baffle and decrease air circulation'throughout the compartment 22. Some air circulation is permitted in the food storage compartment by spacing the shelves, as at 88, slightly from the liner rear wall. A horizontal partition andshelf 90 which may also be made of glass, completely closes oif a lower region of the high humidity-compartment 26 from the food storage compartment 22.

Immediately above and beneath the partition 90 are storage drawers 92 for fresh vegetables.

These drawers 92 each have inclined rear walls which are contoured having conically shaped recesses 93 to conform or to position substantially complementary with the extended portion I0 in the cabinet rear wall. These conical recesses 93 in the rear walls of the drawers 92 are disposed'between the drawer sides and provide for increasing the usable, available drawer space. Itwill be seen, that since the extended portion I0 is conical in shape, the upper drawer near the apex of the cone requires less of a clearance ofiset in the rear wall thereof, thus increasing the capacity of this drawer.

In the freezing compartment 24, ice cube trays 94 are positioned beneath a shelf 96, seating on the bottom wall of the liner 44. The freezing compartment shelf 96 is provided to support foods to be frozen.

Referring nowto the modification of Figs. 5

and 6, the refrigerator shown is similar to the previously described refrigerator and therefore like parts are designated by like numerals to avoid unnecessary repetitious description.- 'The refrigerator of Figs. 5 and 6 differs from the refrigerator of Figs. 1 to 4 inclusive in that the former is a single temperature refrigerator having an evaporator I00 for cooling the food storage compartment I02. This evaporator 100 may be suspended by suitable brackets I04 from the top wall of the cabinet and cooperates with the cabinet liner to form an upper food storage compartment I00 and a lower, high humidity storage compartment I01. The compartment I01 is cooled by the evaporator I00 and. high hunumber of shelves I08 may be provided which are preferably wire shelves to allow free circulation of air throughout the food storage compartment. Limited circulation of air between compartment I06 and I01 is allowed by spacing the rear edge of the partition I05 slightly from the rear wall liner of the cabinet. A motor-compressor I09 is received in an inclined, conical portion of the cabinet rear walls, intermediate the side walls thereof so as to increase the available, usable storage space in the cabinet. A condenser III which is preferably attached to the inner side of the cabinet casing supplies refrigerant through a capillary tube H2 to the evaporator I00 whence the refrigerant returns through a conduit III to the motor-compressor unit I06.

From the foregoing description it will be noted that I have provided an improved arrangement of a cabinet and a refrigerant motor-compressor unit to increase the available, usable storage space in a cabinet. It will further be noted that by the provision of an arcuate recess in the cabinet rear wall for the motor-compressor unit that receptacles forwardly of this recess may have enlargedcapacities. In addition, by using a conical-shaped recess, a saving in storage space is effected and air flow through the motor-compressor conical compartment is induced or inhanced by the inclination of the recessed wall.

Although only a preferred form of the invention has been illustrated, and that form described in detail, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention or from the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. Inrefrigerating apparatus, a cabinet storage compartment having rear and bottom walls, a refrigerant evaporator arranged to cool said compartment, 'a refrigerant condenser operatively connected to said evaporator, a cabinet machinery. compartment at the bottom and rearwardly of said storage compartment, a conical wall common to said compartments, said conical wall converging upwardly from said cabinet bottom wall to said cabinet rear wall, a refrigerant motorcompressor unit in said machinery compartment operatively connected to said evaporator and to saidcondenser, and a storage container in said storage compartment conforming at the rear substantially complementary to said conical wall'.

2. In refrigerating apparatus, a cabinet storage compartment having rear and bottom walls, a refrigerant evaporator arranged to cool said compartment, a refrigerant condenser operatively connected to said evaporator, a cabinet machinery compartment in the bottom and rearwardly of said storagexcompartment, a conical wall common to said compartments, said conical wall converging upwardly from said bottom wall joining the cabinet rear wall intermediate the top and bottom thereof, a storage container in said storage compartment having a rear wall conforming substantially complementary to said conical wall, and a refrigerant motor-compressor unit operatively connected to said evaporator and'to, said condenser and being disposed in said machinery compartment entirely above the outer surface of said cabinet bottom wall.

'3. In refrigerating apparatus, a cabinet storage compartment; having rear and bottom walls, a refrigerant evaporator arranged to cool said compartment,- a refrigerant condenser operatively connected to said evaporator, a cabinet machinery compartment adjacent the bottom and at the rear of said storage compartment, a conical wall converging upwardly from the cabinet bottom wall intersecting the cabinet rear wall intermediate top and bottom walls oi said storage compartment, said conical wall being common to said storage compartment and machinery compartment, an upper shell substantially at the point of intersection of said conical wall and said cabinet rear wall, a lower shell having a rear edge coniorming in contour to said conical wall, containers between said shelves and between said lower shelf and said cabinet bottom wall conforming at the rear to the contour of said conical wall, a refrigerant motor-compressor unit disposed within said machinery compartment generally mniorming in contour to said conical wall, said motor-compressor unit being operativcly connected to said refrigerant evaporator and to said condenser, and a flue member overlying the conical recess cooperating therewith to induce updrait through said machinery compartment.

4. In a refrigerating apparatus, a cabinet having storage space extending substantially from u top to bottom of said cabinet and having side and rear walls, a refrigerant evaporator arranged to absorb heat from at least a portion of said storage space, a conical rear wall portion intermediate said side walls forming a recess in the rear of said cabinet, said conical wall portion being inclined between the front and rear walls of the cabinet projecting into the storage space, a refrigerant motor-compressor unit disposed part way into said recess, a refrigerant condenser operatively connected to said evaporator and to said motorcompressor unit, and a storage receptacle in said storage space having a conical recess complementary to said conical rear wall portion REFERENCES CITEEI) The iollowing references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PA'IEN'IS Number Name Date 2,280,554 Steenstrup Apr-.21, 1942 

